It's a Metaphor, right?
by Smartypink291
Summary: Rachel thinks about the past year, specifically the egging incident. She comes to the conclusion that it was not an act of hate or a funk-ified prank, but a metaphor. And metaphors are important. Rachel-centric/Finn/Jesse/Shelby
1. I Know Why

A/N: This idea has been in my head since, well, the season 1 finale and I had to get it down before I lost and/or it drove me crazy. Also, I wanted to get the beginning of this story written before the season 2 premier because if I waited until after the 21st, I would have a harder time writing what came before if it was not already written. Make sense? Good. :D

**It's a Metaphor, right?**

Rachel thinks about the past year, specifically the egging incident. She comes to the conclusion that it was not an act of hate or a funk-ified prank, but a metaphor. And metaphors are important. Rachel-centric/Finn/Jesse/Shelby

* * *

Rachel lay back with a sigh on her pillows that she propped up against the headboard of her full-size bed. The hot, July nights made doing anything in her house nearly unbearable as her fathers only turned on the A/C once in awhile. She reached over to her iPod dock at the side of her bed and selected some show tunes to blast in her room. Satisfied with her choice of Defying Gravity as the first song to play, she sat back against her pillows. Closing her eyes, she reflected on her loneliness. She needed to find someone to spend time with for the rest of the summer. A few weeks into summer vacation and Rachel Berry was already looking forward for the school year to start. She had thought with Finn's declaration of love at Regional's and her new-found closeness with the others in Glee, she would constantly be busy hanging out with all of them during the summer. As it turns out, she has been spending her days alone. Of course, she keeps busy with her dance and acting classes as well as vocal practices, not to mention her weekly MySpace schedule, but as soon as she comes home or completes her weekly video, she is alone again.

For the first few days after school had ended, Rachel figured that everyone was catching up on those much-needed hours of sleep as she was doing that same thing too. Waking up extra early to go through her morning exercise ritual before getting ready for school really takes its toll after so many days. Rachel relished in the extra hours of shut-eye before starting her exercise routine for the summer. At times she would sit on her bed like she is doing currently, her cell phone by her side, waiting, hoping that it will beep with an incoming text or even a call. No such luck. Not one person from glee has contacted her. When she reached out to them, no one responded, not even Finn. Rachel had thought that they would be able to start the summer off as boyfriend and girlfriend and then go into junior year as a new, better than ever, couple. It seems as though meeting for glee club after school was the glue that kept her tied to all of the members.

She sighs. What is wrong with her? Why doesn't Finn, of all people, want to be with her this summer? She knows for a fact that the football camp he and Noah are attending does not start for another week. He is still in Lima completely available to hang out. He is avoiding her. If only she knew why. After giving her lip for going out with Jesse and claiming that he will be a better boyfriend who will be there for her, he's not being very consistent. Fooled by Finn not once, but a few times to help _him _out, Rachel thinks she deserves at least a response to her messages. He was the one who said 'I love you' to her before they performed at Regional's. Does his lack of response mean he takes it back? Is he upset that she couldn't say it too?

"Of course not!" Rachel found herself saying aloud, shaking her head defiantly, "he loves me. When you love someone, you don't have to spend every minute with each other. He must love me if he forgave me for the Run Joey Run video. I have to cut him some slack too if this is going to work. "

Still, Finn was the only one really making a big deal out of the video. Puck got over his initial shock of being triple cast quickly as he realized what she had done was not nearly as risqué as the things he has done in the past. Even Jesse, her boyfriend at the time, forgave her before Finn did. He eventually came to the conclusion that the video was all about expanding her skills. As an actress, she must be able to take on many different roles and work with people that may or may not get along. He understands because he has similar goals. He just… gets her.

"Jesse and I were going so well!" Rachel exclaims aloud after mulling over her thoughts of the boys in her life, "We both have a passion for singing and performing and of course, we both tend to be over-dramatic. He helped me find my mother even if she left me again. After all of the good times we had, all of the sentiments that we shared, why did he have crack an egg on my head?"

Rachel began to run through the memory of being in the McKinley High parking lot. Since the incident, she has played it over and over in her head, trying, and failing, to comprehend Jesse's motives for what he did. She thinks it over again.

"What could he have possibly meant?" Rachel asks herself to the emptiness of her room where only her plush beanie babies that were scattered in various places among her furniture and her stuffed bear sitting at the foot of her bed that she received from Jesse a few months ago, can hear her.

"_Do it. Break it like you broke my heart," Rachel said defiantly, willing her eyes to stay open and not let her tears be released. _

_Jesse raised his hand up slowly, painfully, allowing Rachel to watch his every move. He placed his egg-filled hand up to her forehead and pressed it gently against her flesh, but hard enough to break the shell. The deed was done. Jesse's eyes flashed down from the broken egg to her eyes, so round and innocent. He looked deep within them, willing her to understand._

"_I loved you," Jesse said dramatically as the yolk dripped down Rachel's face. _

_He stared at her a few seconds longer before turning on his heel and following the rest of Vocal Adrenaline to their cars. As he placed his hand on the handle to the front door of his car, Jesse turned his head again to look at Rachel. Standing in the middle of broken eggshells and the insides of the eggs, she looked so broken and defeated. He saw her lift her head ever so slightly to catch her tear-filled eyes with his. He needed to show her what she meant to him, but he couldn't just shout it out for the rest of his team to hear. _

_Jesse decided to do the one thing he knew would allow Rachel to understand... eventually. He distorted his face into the biggest, cheesiest, most sparkling, show face he ever let grace his gorgeous features. It was the fakest smile he ever put on, but he knew Rachel would eventually figure it out. She just… gets him. _

That smile… his smile… that bright, show face smile. How could she have missed that? Sure, when Jesse is on stage he smiles so optimistically that it can cure cancer, but that day in the parking lot his show face was not the same. It wasn't optimistic at all. Looking back at her memory at what feels like the millionth time, Rachel thinks she's an idiot.

"How could I have not realized it before? It is so obvious now!" Rachel exclaims throwing her hands in the air before letting them drop down to her sides dramatically.

"The increased force of his show face, the way his eyes focused solely on mine when he looked back at me that last time, the hesitation when he… he cracked the egg – _gently! He broke it gently!_ – on my forehead and told me he loved me. He hesitated…" Rachel trails her voice off into the hot air of her room letting it hang still among her possessions.

"It was not meant to be an act of revenge because I'm a vegan. No!" Rachel suddenly says to herself defiantly shaking her head, "That is just the literal interpretation to fool the others in Vocal Adrenaline so they would think he is still with them. What he was _really_ saying was that—"

"Rachel!"

It's her dad's voice. Rachel stops herself mid-thought to listen, but not before grimacing at her revelation being cut off.

"Daddy just finished taking our dinner off the grill, come downstairs so we can eat! It smells delicious and you know how much I love Daddy's barbeque cooking," she hears her dad chuckle as the door opens and he steps outside on to the patio deck.

"Okay, Dad, I'll be right down!" Rachel shouts, looking toward her door as if that was the direction where he was standing.

During each bite of her veggie burger and baked fries, Rachel continues to mull over her contemplations about Jesse and his egg. Was it just a prank out of spite to dig her deeper into a funk? Or did he truly, honestly care for her and was forced to put on that show face for his Vocal Adrenaline peers? Rachel is still not sure. Her revelation when she was upstairs in her room is still floating around in her mind, confusing the hell out of her. She needs to talk to Jesse. She must. Tonight.

"Dad, Daddy?" Rachel asks her fathers sitting across from her at the table.

"Yes, sweetheart," Her Daddy answers as both he and her dad put their forks down to give their daughter undivided attention.

"You know how I was going out with Jesse from Vocal Adrenaline, right?" Rachel starts and they nod. She had not told her fathers that it was Jesse who had egged her in the parking lot. When she had arrived home that day covered in egg remains, her fathers were still at work so they never had to see the damage in person. When they got home, Rachel was already showered and had changed into clean clothes. Just as she was about to tell them about the incident, she chickened out. Her fathers were very protective of their only daughter and she wanted to spare them the agonizing worry over spilled eggs that she was ultimately able to take care of herself.

"Well, you know that I'm no longer together with him anymore, but I was hoping that I could go over to his house tonight. We didn't exactly end on the highest note and I wanted to go over to talk to him and make things right. Can I go, please? I promise I will be very diligent about the time and be home before it gets too late. And if I know that I won't be back by midnight, I'll call you so you don't have to worry." She explains rationally so that her fathers can see her perspective without knowing too much of her real reasoning for talking to Jesse.

Both men look at each other with an inquisitive gaze before nodding at the other. They knew and trusted their daughter to make the right decisions and how can they say know when she had the whole thing planned out and organized, as per usual? It is Rachel's daddy who answers as dad nods in agreement.

"Sure thing, honey, We know how uncomfortable it can be to leave a relationship on bad terms. Take all the time you need, but call us by 9:30 so we don't have to worry about where you are, what you're doing, and we will know when you'll be home, alright?"

Rachel sends them a warm smile, "Thanks dad, daddy. I promise I won't be late. I just really need to talk to him." Finishing her sentence, Rachel returns to finishing her meal before clearing her plate and heading to her room to grab her bag and car keys. As she descends the stairs and then gets into her car and starts the engine, Rachel can't help but stop and think about what she is about to do.

"Jesse, if the egg incident before regional's is not the metaphor that I discovered, you are truly a soulless automaton. Metaphors are far too important to be taken lightly," Rachel says to herself as she pulls out of the garage and into the street, ready to face what has been consuming her thoughts all night.

TBC

* * *

AN: First glee story. This is probably not going to be very long (2 - 4 chapters most likely), but it will take some time because of classes and other miscellaneous things. Also, I want to get further in my suite life story as well, but I had to write this down (see previous A/N). :D

Please tell me what you like / don't like about this first chapter. Was Rachel in character? Do you like the idea for the the egging incident? I haven't read a story that tried making the egging into something more so I think this is at least somewhat original. Also, I'm getting tired of seeing all of the pregnant Rachel stories. There are only so many I can read :p

Remember to review! :D

_**Smartypink291**_


	2. Are You My Mother?

It's a Metaphor, right?  
- Chapter 2 -

Rachel thinks about the past year, specifically the egging incident. She comes to the conclusion that it was not an act of hate or a funk-ified prank, but a metaphor. And metaphors are important. Rachel-centric/Finn/Jesse/Shelby

* * *

Driving at 7 pm during the summer in Lima, Ohio, Rachel notices three things. The first being the small group of college students that just finished their freshman year that are walking along the sidewalk toward a house that already has the music turned up to the max. A very astute, observant person, which Rachel Berry can honestly say that she is, can see that the windows of the house are just slightly shaking from all of the dancing movement going on inside. Not really caring what the older kids are doing, Rachel moves her eyes from the side of the road to focus on getting out of her neighborhood and onto the main road in the direction of Akron. She needs to talk to Jesse. What she believes is his egging metaphor continues to circle around her brain. As she starts to doubt her discovery, Rachel quickly shakes her head to clear her thoughts.

The second thing she notices occurs at the stoplight two miles or so before the intersection for Jesse's neighborhood. Having only been to Jesse's house once before, Rachel watches for the obvious landmarks to know that she is going the right way. She knows that Jesse lives fairly close to Carmel High School so when she sees the large school on her right, Rachel smiles. Since the sun is not set to go down for another hour or so, Rachel clearly sees the few cars that are in the parking lot and a lone, dark-haired woman walking from what looks like a large town park area next to the school. She does not look too old from what Rachel can gather for she has a…

"Is that a baby carriage?" Rachel asks herself aloud, leaning forward to get an even better look.

It is a baby carriage that the woman is pushing, and Rachel notices a third thing. Focusing on the characteristics of the woman from her current position, Rachel gasps, dropping her bottom lip slightly as she recognizes the person at once.

"Mom?" she asks quietly to her empty car. She hasn't seen her mother since she confronted her at Regional's and asked her to help coach the McKinley glee club. What is she doing in Carmel High's parking lot after she said she quit… with a baby no less? The last confrontation she had with her mom, Rachel walked out heartbroken that she had wanted a family, a dog, a garden, but not her. Wasn't she family? Why wasn't she good enough? Did she know that she was already broken from Jesse's betrayal and this was the icing on top of the despair that was comparable to Barbra in _The Way We Were_?

The light changes from red to green and Rachel makes a quick decision. She may never get this chance for a while so she drives the short distance to the Carmel High parking lot entrance and turns. Recognizing the black Range Rover close to the entrance as Shelby's, Rachel parks her car close by, leaving one parking space between them.

She gets out and walks to the back of her car. Leaning against the trunk of the car, Rachel crosses her arms under her chest and tries to keep a neutral expression on her face. It is hard not letting any tears fall from her eyes. She cannot help but want to cry at the sight of seeing her mother that she had found after 16 years, but now cannot have. She wants, no, she _needs_ a mom and she will use every ounce of her ability to get Shelby to see it too. Jesse can wait.

As Shelby approaches the trunk of her car, Rachel sees her look at the new car that appeared with a confused expression, but as soon as she was looking over, she turns back to own car and pops the trunk, not noticing Rachel standing there. Rachel watches as she gently cradles the small baby out of the carriage and holds her on her hip. She deduces it's a girl because of the dress she is wearing. She smiles at the pattern of gold stars stitched on the hem and reminisces about the gold-starred cup she received only a month ago and her own affiliation with the symbol – the metaphor.

She views her mother taking extra care to hold on to the baby girl while expertly, as if she had been doing it all her life, collapsing the stroller and placing it inside the trunk of the car with her free hand.

_As if she doesn't know how to take care of a child! Exhibit A! Why is being a mom to me any different than to that baby? On the plus side, it will not require as much physical work like a baby does. It will be much more friend-like – best friend like – with the occasional lecture, of course. _Rachel thinks this to herself as she watches the mother-daughter interaction with sadness, anger, and regrettably a bit annoyance.

Shelby closes the trunk of the car and finally faces toward Rachel since the driver's side is in the same direction. However, she does not notice her when she lifts the baby girl up with two hands and holds her in front of her face. She walks to the back seat door on the driver's side and stops before opening it.

"Did you enjoy our walk, Beth? You liked that butterfly that flew on your nose, didn't you? Yes you did," Shelby asks her baby while slightly tickling her sides with her thumbs. Beth giggles at the touch before Shelby shifts her to one arm again to open the door and place her securely in her car seat. After getting Beth settled in with a blanket and seatbelt, she shuts the door and jumps back in surprise as she turns around and sees the girl with her own dark hair, nose, and mouth standing in front of her.

"Hi, Mom," Rachel says trying her best to be nonchalant, "About time you noticed I was here… but then again, with that new baby who has time to notice their own, flesh-and-blood, 16-year-old daughter." Rachel bites down on her tongue to prevent the tears from falling from her eyes.

Her mother places a hand on her fast-beating heart and finally addresses Rachel.

"Rachel," she lets out taking in a breath of air before continuing, "you scared me. It's not that I'm not happy to see you, baby, but what are you doing here?"

"I was coming to see Je- I was just in the neighborhood," Rachel says avoiding her real reasons.

Rachel moves her eyes down toward to her shoes, but she catches a glimpse of her mother raising her eyebrow in a questioning manner. She does not know how to explain what is going on to her mother. She doesn't know if she even cares. Will she want to listen to her theory on Jesse's broken egg incident? Does she even know that her students egged her before regionals? She can really use a mom's help right now. She needs her. If she can show her how she feels about this, maybe it will be enough to prove that her mother needs to be in her life. Too long has she gone without a mother's love. Her dad's are great, fantastic even, but they can only do so much. She knows she can't turn back time, but she would like a mom for all future events that will occur in her life.

"I really need a mom right now," Rachel says softly, unlike the terse tone she took on first.

She sees Shelby's face drop, her eyes showing only concern and worry about what might have happened. The first time that Rachel came to her mom asking for help, she noticed that Shelby had a similar expression that only relaxed when she revealed it was only her dress she needed help with.

"Oh, honey, what's wrong?" Shelby takes a step forward and lifts her arms as if to give a hug, but pauses and brings them back in again. It's awkward. She can see that Shelby wants to hug her, but obviously feels weird about their relationship after all that had happened.

Rachel looks up slowly. Her eyes glisten. She takes a step forward so she's closer to the older woman. She figures it will be easier to overcome the awkward tension if she breaks it now, She breathes deeply before speaking to control her voice, choosing her words carefully.

"Did you know that Jesse and Vocal Adrenaline egged me in the parking lot before Regionals?" Rachel asks calmly, yet very emotional.

"They did what?" Shelby asks incredulously, eyes hardening in anger for her formal team. "When did this happen? Were you –– are you okay? Did you tell anyone about it?"

Rachel smiles as she lets out a giggle, "And you thought you wouldn't be able to be a good mom? You already have the worrying part down."

"Rachel…" Shelby stares pointedly at her. Rachel stops her giggle as she fades her smile into a slight frown.

"I'm… fine enough now. I have only told Mr. Shue and the glee club what happened, " Rachel responds, "My dads don't know."

She doesn't know why she added that last part. May be to further prove that a mother is needed in her life did she mention that she had not gone to her dads for this issue. She doesn't know. What she does know is that her mom is currently looking at her like she wants to hug and hold on and never let go to protect her from all dangers. It's not exactly the best situation to put a parent, but she likes it. Rachel feels… loved and that's exactly what she needs right now. She's not even all that convinced that Finn loves her. His declaration was blurted out so quickly she had not had time to process it before performing, probably misinterpreting his meaning in haste. If his lack of communication so far this summer is anything to go by, he is obviously not that infatuated with her.

"I hope they helped you. If I had known, I would have reprimanded the people who were part of it. No one should get away with deliberately hurting anyone. Are you ever going to tell your dads? Would you like to talk about it with me?" Shelby chooses her words carefully not wanting to push Rachel into sharing anything, but still wanting her trust.

She cannot believe that her kids would do this. She understands about their funkification of the competing show choirs. That is all in good, competitive fun that has become more of a tradition in Vocal Adrenaline that occurs every year. Shelby thought that they succeeded in their annual funkification with _Another One Bites the Dust_ and the toilet-papered choir room. Those are harmless pranks that they had _confirmed_ with her before acting. She had thought it was fine since no one was getting hurt and they did work exceptionally hard on perfecting another Queen piece in addition to _Bohemian Rhapsody_. If she had known that they egged another student, especially one whom they were aware of her vegan ideals, she would have made it painfully obvious that they pushed their funk too far. She supposes that they didn't tell her because they were afraid she would not let the participators compete… and they would be right. Maybe not take them out of the entire production, – she believes they worked too hard all year for that – but she would have definitely given out a punishment that would have made them wish they had never done anything. They're lucky she's not heading their team anymore, very lucky.

"Yes, everyone was remarkably protective. Noah was the first one jump up and head toward the door to go to Carmel High to get even and the other boys, even Kurt – he's more of a girl which is why that's significant, – but Mr. Shue quickly stopped them before they made it out of the room. We funkified them instead," Rachel says smiling proudly, remembering how she felt when the glee club showed they actually cared about her and how much fun she had performing that Funk number.

"Do you want to talk about anything else, Rachel?" Shelby asks after a moment of comfortable silence hung in the air.

Rachel bites her lip for second before answering. This is her chance to really get to know her mom and receive her help in anything. She can show her that she needs her in her life that they cannot be "grateful for each other from afar" any longer.

"There is something else about the egging incident. I have a theory about why Jesse did it and that's why I was coming over here, to talk to him," Rachel finally reveals, "I am starting to doubt my thoughts though so I can really use a second opinion on what I should do. Can we go somewhere to sort it out, please?

"Of course, baby," her mom responds reassuringly, "We can go back to my house. I need to put Beth down for a nap, she's probably getting restless if she's not asleep already." She lets out a giggle as she turns her head slightly to the back seat window of her car.

"Wait, Beth? As in Quinn's baby, Beth?" Rachel asks incredulously as she runs through everything he mother just told her in her head.

"Yes," Shelby says smiling proudly as she thinks of her new baby, "I adopted her when I went back to the hospital after Regionals. She's just the most perfect little thing." She gushes like only new parents can do, but stops as quickly as she had started as soon as Rachel's response leaves her mouth.

"So this is why you didn't want to have a relationship with me? I wasn't good enough to be your daughter so you had to get a newer, better one? God, even my own mother prefers Quinn Fabray to me! Why does everyone love her so much?" Rachel exclaims throwing her hands in the air dramatically. She calms down significantly after a moment and looks down at her feet, uncharacteristically shy.

"Is she… that much better and prettier than me?" she asks blatantly.

In the short time that she knows her daughter, Shelby Corcoran has never seen Rachel with this much uncertainty about herself. Sure, when she came for help with her Gaga costume she looked a bit nervous to ask the woman she barely knew for help, but that was nothing compared to now.

"Sweetie, no, that's not it at all. You're gorgeous, and I'm not just saying that because you look like me," Shelby says comfortingly, finally wrapping her arm around the younger girl, who starts to lean into her touch and smile appreciatively. "Why don't you get in your car and follow me back to my house. We'll have a nice, long chat with a glass of water and everything can come out in the open, alright?"

Rachel nods mutely, grateful for her mother's words. After one last squeeze from her mother's arm, she turns to go the driver's door of car, sending one last look at the older woman before settling in seat. She feels good about this meeting as she feels things will only get better from here.

TBC

* * *

AN: This chapter sort of took on a life of it's own. I originally thought to have Shelby come into the story after Rachel talked to Jesse, but this seemed to flow much better. Now Rachel can have her mother's input on what she should do about her theory about Jesse's egg metaphor and she can reestablish a better relationship from where the show left off. You'll just have to wait a little longer to find out the conclusion that she came to about Jesse. It shouldn't be too long before it's revealed. :D

I tried to keep Rachel and Shelby in character as best I could. I think I did a pretty decent job at doing so. What are your thoughts on this chapter? Anything you would like me to consider for the remainder of the story? I think there will be at least 2 more chapters, maybe 3. We'll see how it goes! :)

Remember, reviews are like applause, Rachel needs them to live! :D

**_Smartypink291_**


	3. You're My Best Friend

It's a Metaphor, right?  
- Chapter 3 -

Rachel thinks about the past year, specifically the egging incident. She comes to the conclusion that it was not an act of hate or a funk-ified prank, but a metaphor. And metaphors are important. Rachel-centric/Finn/Jesse/Shelby

* * *

Arriving at Shelby's house, Rachel drops her jaw slightly as she sees the beauty of the home. It's not abnormally big, but just the right size for a small family. The house has a few colorful flowers in front, lining the walkway to the front door and an attached garage to the right.

"Looks like she got her garden, too," Rachel says dejectedly to herself as she pulls into the driveway after Shelby. So she now has a new baby in her house with a garden. Why should that matter to Rachel? All she needs now is a dog to fulfill all her wants. Rachel wonders whether she can fit into her mother's life now, too. _That's _what she wants; hopefully after their talk, she - and Shelby - will figure out a way to have her in her life as well.

Rachel shuts off her car and steps outside, continuing to observe her surroundings. Shelby must have done pretty well at Carmel high to live here and be able to support a new baby now.

_I wonder if she's going to get another job now that she quit Carmel. She can't possibly be able to live off of what she earned forever. No matter how large her salary at Carmel was it was still a teacher salary, not a CEO. _Rachel thinks to herself as she watches Shelby carry baby Beth out of the back seat of her car and through the door inside the garage to rest of the house.

"So, do you want anything to drink or something to eat? I think I have some homemade iced tea left in the fridge, I always make it during the summer," Shelby says placing her keys in the basket on the end table by the door. She makes her way to the chair at the island in her kitchen and hangs her purse on the back while balancing Beth. Rachel closes the door behind her as she enters the room fully and turns to face her mother starting to walk to the stairs to go up to Beth's room.

"I had dinner before I left, but I'll just have a glass of water, thanks," Rachel responds, ending with a soft smile. When she heard Shelby moving around in a room upstairs, Rachel takes a moment to look at the room around her. She traces her fingers over a small gold star engraved strategically at the corner of the island countertop. Rachel smiles proudly. This is just another reason she can use for why her mother belongs in her life. They both have an affinity for gold stars. _That definitely says we're meant to be together._ Rachel believes wordlessly, her smile never leaving her face.

As she waits for her mother to come back downstairs, Rachel decides to fix herself her glass of water. Most kitchens have similar layouts, so it will not be too hard to find a glass and then fill it with water from the door of the refrigerator. She grabs a glass from the windowed cabinet and proceeds to put in a few ice cubes and then water. As she turns around from filling her glass, she bites her lip, eyes wandering around the kitchen.

At home when she or her dads fixed her a glass of water, she always drank it with a crazy, brightly colored straw. Since she was very little and her dads started the ritual of bringing her a glass of water when she was upset, drinking the water out of crazy straw moved from tradition where it was to make a little girl smile, to a habit that has become so common with this ritual that she cannot do without it. Of course, given the circumstances, she can deal with a plain bendy straw as those are more commonly found in most homes. Rachel sets her glass on the table in search of one.

After opening and closing many cabinet doors, Rachel is ready to admit defeat when she opens her final cabinet. There, to Rachel's delight, is a box of straws on the right hand side. She reaches her hand out to grab one when a sparkle of light at the back of the cabinet catches her eye. Curious, she moves the pile of napkins in front slightly to the side and gasps. At the back of the shelf lies a discarded crazy straw that probably has not been used in a long time. Rachel pulls it out and examines it in the light. It's not like the ones she has used since she was 3 at her house. Those are only pink or green spirals. This one is different, special. This one is golden-yellow and bends in the shape of a star.

A few minutes later, Shelby descends the stairs. She enters the kitchen in an entirely different outfit than the one she was wearing before.

"Sorry I took so long, Rachel, I was changing my-" Shelby begins as she catches sight of Rachel leaning on her elbows on the table, her fingers holding the straw as she takes a sip of the water in the glass. Rachel's eyes open more widely as she looks up mid-sip and Shelby finishes her sentence more to herself, "clothes."

"What… where did you find that?" Shelby asks curiously after a few seconds. She points lightly to the star-shaped straw her daughter is now using.

"Oh, I found it in the cabinet over there," Rachel says as she looks at the place where she got the straw. She starts to smile, but quickly stops as she realizes she never asked her mother if she could use it. She glances at her mother's face and Rachel quickly back-pedals and explains herself, "I hope you don't mind that I used it! At home I've always had a glass of water when I was upset, but I've always had it with a crazy straw. I was originally looking for a plain bendy straw since I know that it is very rare for most people to have brightly colored straws in fun shapes, but you obviously are the exception. As soon as I saw this in the cabinet I knew I had to use it, not only because of tradition, but it's a gold star! I… I have a thing for gold stars and this is just another point that proves that we're meant to be together! When you gave me that cup a month ago, I was so happy. Not that you were walking away, that part made me very mad actually, but the fact that you obviously took the time to give me something that is near and dear to your heart and something that we both share—" Rachel rambles before being cut off by Shelby.

"Rachel!" Shelby interrupts laughing, "It's okay! I'm glad you're using it. To tell you the truth, I forgot I even had that back there." Shelby sees Rachel gasp dramatically. She smiles softly, "I'm happy that you found it. I feel more of a part of your life now."

Rachel grins happily, her eyes sparkling. _My mother likes me! She really likes me!_ Rachel continues smiling as she takes another sip of her water, communicating more with the woman in front of her than she had in the two times she encountered her at school.

"So, what was this about seeing Jesse tonight? You said you wanted to talk about when he egged you?" Shelby asks concerned after she and Rachel had situated on the couch in the living room. They had begun talking about mundane things – the weather, glee, and summer – before jumping into what Rachel had said she wanted to discuss before arriving at the house.

Rachel looks down at her lap as she moves her hands to play with the hem of her shirt. She doesn't know where to begin. She can start with explaining what happened when she was egged to Shelby and see her point of view, but then again, since she is her mom, no matter if she's been there or not, so she may get overly emotional and have a biased opinion on what the right course of action should be after telling her new theory. Best to change topics entirely until she can figure out how to begin. Rachel starts to speak, letting the words tumble off her lips before she can stop them.

"Why did you adopt Quinn's baby?" she asks blatantly, catching Shelby by surprise.

Shelby sighs, leaning back into the cushions of the couch. She had been expecting a question like this due to Rachel's reaction to Beth back in front of the school, but thinking she would have prefaced it with other questions or comments, Shelby takes a deep breath and responds.

"I missed my chance with you," she starts and continues quickly as she sees Rachel is about to interrupt, "I missed my chance being a part of your childhood, helping you grow up. I'm not getting any younger and at this rate, I'll probably not be married in my lifetime. I want the chance to raise a child myself so when you told me that Quinn had her baby I took it. Not just that this was an opportunity to have a baby, but this baby had a connection to you." Shelby pauses and looks at Rachel and into her eyes, having previously been looking straight ahead from her position on the couch.

"Beth wasn't just some random baby in the hospital ward. She had parents too young to take care of her and while they could have been anybody, they were your classmates, your fellow glee members. Not only that, but I saw a little of myself in Quinn," Shelby says and breathes deeply again. She continues to look at Rachel, who is staring intently in her direction, her interest piqued.

"When I decided to have a baby, you, for your dads, I was not that much older than you are now. I had just graduated from college and needed money to go to New York to try my hand on Broadway. Being so young, I didn't realize the implications of carrying a child for nine months and then letting her go. I… had believed I could stay detached and go to New York… with no regrets and become the star I always knew I would become. But I was wrong… so, so very wrong." Shelby takes a deep breath, controlling her voice as all of her emotions from that time began to flow through her.

"With each month of pregnancy, I loved the baby that was inside me, often imagining teaching her, teaching you everything from singing to dancing, you name it as you grew up," Shelby continues and smiles genuinely, tears stinging her eyes.

Rachel bites on her lip and lets it go slowly as she watches her mother blink, releasing a tear down her cheek. She was not the only one to lose after they sang Poker Face or after they met at Regional's. Her mother was just as upset as she was, had been, is… She never meant to hurt Rachel. She just wanted to have that experience of helping a child grow up, something she couldn't do with Rachel from the beginning. That should not stop her from pursuing a relationship now, however. Rachel thinks to herself for a few minutes, allowing a comfortable silence to wash over the two of them before speaking.

"I understand," Rachel says softly, giving Shelby a small smile. "But can I ask you one favor?"

"Sure, honey," Shelby responds genuinely as she turns slightly on the couch to face Rachel more fully, "what is it?"

"I know that you said we should just be grateful for each other from afar because you wanted a family, a garden, and a dog, but I want you know to that I can be your family, too," Rachel says wringing her hands, "I'm not a baby, and yes, I do have two parents who love me and have given me everything that I needed, but they are guys! I haven't had a motherly influence in my life since I was five and daddy's mother came over for the last time before saying she didn't approve of his life choices anymore and couldn't even fake it for me," Rachel explains.

Shelby raises her eyebrows. She looks forlornly at her daughter, sad and regretful that she walked away from Rachel thinking she didn't need her at all. She hadn't realized that Rachel would not have had a female influence growing up. She had figured at least one of her dad's mothers would be in her life and if not that, being gay must have allowed them some inclination to the lives of women, right? One of the things that kept Shelby from breaking down every minute after she had left for New York was her rationalizing that Rachel's dads will be able to give her the same influence and love that she, as a woman, can give and that she was not needed in the slightest. I guess the great, Shelby Corcoran can be wrong sometimes, too, she realizes.

"We can give it a try," Shelby says as she sees Rachel's eyes light up, "but it will probably be better that we take things slow." Rachel nods in agreement, a serious look on her face, before Shelby resumes speaking. "Since I have not been there for the first 16 years of your life, I feel that it will be better if I start as your friend or mentor in a way and then go from there, sound good?" Shelby tilts her chin down, smiling slightly.

Rachel smiles widely, eyes lighting up showing her excitement. "That would be wonderful! As much as I do want a mom, I need a friend… a best friend!" Rachel says animatedly. Shelby returns the smile wholeheartedly, excited at the prospect of finally being reunited with her daughter… for real this time.

"I don't really have any friends at school," she continues sadly, her cheeks reddening in embarrassment at revealing her life at school to her mother, "I guess there is glee club, but they only really tolerate me for my voice."

"Well, I will be honored to fill that role," Shelby replies, eyes twinkling as she smiles at Rachel, who smiles appreciatively in return. Slightly saddened at the fact that her baby does not have many friends, Shelby puts the emotions in back of her mind for now to focus instead on enjoying the happy moment between her and her daughter.

"I assume you want to know the original reason of why I agreed to come back to talk you, right?" Rachel asks after a few minutes had gone by. Both she and Shelby had spent those minutes talking about Rachel's very first performance (that she can accurately remember considering her actual first performance was at eight months old) when she was 3 years old and she sang a beautiful, if she does say so herself, rendition of Tomorrow from Annie. Shelby laughs amused, adding in the little fact that her mother loved that song and had her sing it whenever possible.

"Yes, that would be correct. I almost forgot why you had come here as well," Shelby responds, chuckling.

"Well, after thinking about being egged by Jesse in the parking lot, I have two theories," Rachel begins, looking at Shelby who is paying acute attention, "I came up with one at home a few hours ago, but the second one came to me while I was driving over here. I'll tell you the second one since I do believe that it is more comical and not at all true as compared to my first one. First, in order for you to laugh at my second theory I have to give you some background." Shelby smiles amused at her dramatics. Rachel takes a breath and continues.

"When Jesse and I were dating, things got pretty… for lack of better words, hot and heavy. He obviously found me attractive and wanted to sleep with me, but we only got close, we never actually did. So, the eggs he threw at me were apparently a metaphor for the eggs inside my own body that he wanted but never got to permeate," Rachel says with as straight a face as she can, straining to hide hide her grin.

Rachel watches Shelby's eyes widen in surprise. She tries to keep her face passive, but can't help the wide smile that grows across both her cheeks, "Wouldn't that funny? If that was Jesse's motive for doing what he did? I would have certainly disregarded the fact all those baby chicks were at my feet if that was reason for turning me into an omelet. It's always nice to be thought of as attractive," Rachel continues, laughing harder as she stops talking.

Shelby puts her hand up to quiet Rachel's laughter as she lets a few giggles herself, "I'm going to disregard the fact that my student tried to sleep with you for the time being so I can ask, what was… is your first, better theory?" Shelby raises an eyebrow as she ends her question.

Rachel blushes and looks down a moment, "My first idea is much deeper. I'm a bit nervous to say… figuring this out made me realize that my feelings for Jesse may have never really gone away. I'm hoping that… that you can help me better understand what I'm thinking… that's what friends do for each other, right?" Rachel hesitates slightly.

"Of course," Shelby says genuinely, "I'm all ears… and I will help as best I can," she looks at her watch, "it's almost a quarter to ten now, are you planning on seeing Jesse tonight?"

Rachel widens her eyes, completely ignoring the question as she realizes how late it is getting. "Oh no! I said I would call my dads at 9:30 if I were going to be out later! Do you mind if I call them? I'll only be a minute then I can continue explaining everything to you," Rachel says hurriedly as she takes out her phone and starts holding down the speed dial button for home before Shelby can get a word in edgewise.

"Go ahead," Shelby responds, chuckling lightly at how dramatic Rachel can be yet again. She leans back in seat on the couch, taking a deep breath as she watches Rachel start to talk on the phone. She thinks to herself. _Having a relationship with Rachel is not as difficult as I had thought it would be. I see so much of myself in her that I'm reminded of how I used to be when I was her age. Things can only get better from here. _

TBC

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AN: Another chapter down. :D Do you like the continuity of the last sentence from the last chapter? I promise the next chapter will have Rachel's original, normal theory on the egging metaphor. I figured I would make her think of this one because Rachel is one to want to feel attractive by other people considering she is always put down at school by Santana or Quinn or even Finn.

In the next chapter Rachel will finally talk to Jesse. About time, right? :) How did you all like this chapter? Were Shelby and Rachel still in character? I may have strayed them a little, but I think I managed to keep them true to their personalities. What do you think? Is there anything that you want me to consider for the next chapter(s)? Anything you think should happen, whether it's between Rachel and Jesse or Shelby?

I put in an Idina reference in this chapter. I was inspired since I saw her in her one-woman show with the new york philharmonic conducted by Marvin Hamlisch. She was spectacular / amazing / fantastic / entertaining / humorous / great and any other synonym for any of those. :) During the show, she mentioned that when she was growing up, her mother loved the song Tomorrow from Annie and then she ended up singing it toward the end of the show in dedication to her mother. It was funny when she first started singing it because of how she introduced the song earlier in the show. Someone most likely recorded it and put it on youtube.

Remember, reviews are important... they can make the difference between getting in trouble for performing while drunk or getting praised for scaring the student body away from drinking entirely. (Wasn't Figgins hilarious in the Blame it on the Alcohol episode? Ke-dollar sign-ha!)

**_Smartypink291_**


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